Thaksin: No anti-coup war room

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Published: 21/02/2012 at 06:19 PM
Online news: Local News

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has rejected as groundless a media report that he plans to set up an anti-coup war room by June, Thaksin's legal advisor Noppadon Pattama said on Tuesday.

Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (Photo by Pattnapong Chantranontwong)

Mr Noppadon said Thaksin, who has been living abroad in self-imposed exile since 2008, told him that he had no plans for a war room to direct red shirt gatherings expected to be held in the coming months to discourage anyone who might be plotting a coup.

"There's no need for Thaksin to set up a war room since he already has a sister [Yingluck Shinawatra] who is the prime minister and the country is also moving towards reconciliation," the lawyer said.

According to the report in Asia Times Online, "Thailand's Thaksin prepares for war", Thaksin instructed Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat to secretly activate an unofficial command centre to pre-empt anti-government groups from staging a coup. The fugitive former premier also ordered that the war room plan must not be revealed to Ms Yingluck so that she could deny any knowledge of its existence.

Earlier this month, Pheu Thai party-list MP and red shirt key member Jatuporn Prompan claimed that there could be a coup in April, to remove the government. Mr Jatuporn called on red-shirt supporters to be prepared to hold mass demonstrations to prevent any coup attempt.

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: Writer: Online Reporters; Position: Online Reporters

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johninbkk
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Discussion 18 : 24/02/2012 at 06:36 PM18
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A very interesting article by Asia Times Online, although sources are sketchy at best. Lets just hope it's true - that we aren't defenseless against coups.
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banmebkk
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Discussion 17 : 22/02/2012 at 02:56 PM17
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@Disc 15 - or when Thaksin said he believes in the Thai justice system, and the next couple of days he flees the country.
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bangmodken
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Discussion 16 : 22/02/2012 at 01:49 AM16
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I guess the part to keep puppet PM in the dark needs to be revised now that it's all out in the open. The parrot can't claim to be unaware of this now as she has done about most other important state issues.
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jgriff
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Discussion 15 : 22/02/2012 at 12:13 AM15
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Of course there is no war room. Taskin said there wasn't. Remember he always tells the truth. Like, " I will stay out of politics " for one quote.
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howell
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Discussion 14 : 21/02/2012 at 09:43 PM14
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@jacksprat. Agree. His attempted armed and violent insurrections in 2009 and 2010 needed a war room. Pity he did not actually see the dead people he sacrificed and their families' grief and now does not experience the bitter divide he has created. He might feel some guilt; there again he might not.
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khunbj
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Discussion 13 : 21/02/2012 at 08:29 PM13
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D9 blobber, agree sometimes unnamed sources are important for journalists, in this case the article was not written by a journalist, which you probably know already since I assume you read it as well.... and especially in forums like these where most commenters don't bother reading the background story or for that matter the article they comment on then it is absolutely irrelevant whether the source is unnamed, non existing , made up or whatever because most just deliver their usual thai bashing regardless of whatever the subject may be .
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koolbreez
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Discussion 12 : 21/02/2012 at 07:31 PM12
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This is preposterous to even thing it is true. This is like thinking there are casinos in Thailand, or Bangkok after those in power say there aren't. No one has been convicted of operating a casino so they do not exist, just like Thaksin has no anti-coup war room. No one can prove it exists so there isn't one, just like there are no casinos because those in power say so.
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robert64
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Discussion 11 : 21/02/2012 at 07:11 PM11
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When listening to Thaksin and family or the red shirts, whatever they say expect the opposite. Remember “we don’t any intention in returning Thaksin’s passport” or the ever laughable “we are a peaceful demonstration” just before shooting bombs to the Saladaeng BTS station then burning Bangkok. Now we have the “I did not have a secret meeting in the Four Seasons Hotel.” The problem is the more lies you tell the more you have to tell.
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yuehanyao
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Discussion 10 : 21/02/2012 at 07:09 PM10
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There needs to be a whole bunch of war rooms, lets start with a war room controlled by the police. Their entire mission is to figure out how to get the Thai people involved in politics to abide by the law and not seize airports or burn down bangkok. Second war room, how to reverse the effects of the illegal coup of 2006 without sparking a civil war. Third war room, how to better secure democracy without interference from extraparlamentarian parties. Or they could realize that local politics does not matter that much and try to actually protect and secure their own people from foreign terrorist.
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blobber
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Discussion 9 : 21/02/2012 at 07:06 PM9
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Discussion 5. It always amazes me that people claim that since a story came fron an unnamed source the story can be discounted. That's how journalism works, a journalist never reveals their sources. The Woodward-Bernstein investigation that brought down President Nixon got a lot of it's information from an unnamed source. I guess that story should have been discounted too.
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